TCU Hosts UTSA Saturday Night
12/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 | 7:00 p.m. CT | Fort Worth, Texas | Radio Network: 1420 AM KPIR; FrogVision |
Fans not able to attend the non-conference showdown against the Roadrunners can follow it live on FrogVision with Brian Estridge (Play-By-Play) and John Denton (Color) calling the action live.
The Opponent
UTSA comes into Saturday's showdown with a 4-4 overall record after defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in its last outing, 73-60. Against the Islanders, the Roadrunners were carried by Ryan Bowie who tallied 20 points on 8-for-12 from the field, while Keon Lewis scored 19 points.
On the season, Bowie has carried the load, averaging 16.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds a contest. Lewis has been just as good, totaling 15.8 points a game and 4.0 assists per contest.
The Series
Saturday's contest will be the 12the meeting between the two schools. TCU leads the all-time series, 8-3, but the two teams haven't met on the hardwood since 2006 when the Horned Frogs dropped the Roadrunners, 63-51.
Sizzling December
Under head coach Trent Johnson, TCU has put together quite the resume during the month of December as the Frogs have only lost twice under Johnson's watch. The Purple and White have won 11-straight during the month, which dates back to the 2012-13 season. Overall, TCU is 11-2 during the month under Johnson with its only losses coming in back-to-back outings to Houston (Dec. 4) and at Tulsa (Dec. 8) in 2012.
Mr. Consistent
Senior Kyan Anderson has been almost perfect from the charity stripe this season, going 31-of-33 (.939) from the line. His only two misses came against Radford (6-for-7) and McNeese State (6-for-7). He currently ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference and 10th nationally in free throw percentage.
Chasing History
TCU moved to 10-0 on the season with its 68-50 victory over McNeese State. In the Big 12 Conference, the Frogs need only three more wins to tie Oklahoma State for the 10th best start in league history. The Cowboys opened the 2001-02 season with a 13-0 record before falling.
History Lesson
The Frogs have now recorded their best start to a season since going 9-0 in 1997-98, which also happens to be the last time TCU made the NCAA Tournament. When broken down even further, the Purple and White have only recorded double-digit wins four times in program history before suffering their second loss of the season (1930-31: 12-1; 1951-52: 14-1; 1957-58: 10-1; 1997-98: 10-1). Heading into Wednesday night, TCU was one of only nine teams remaining in the NCAA who were undefeated on the year.
Time Machine
TCU is once again receiving votes in both national polls this week, marking the first time under head coach Trent Johnson the program has accomplished that feat. The last time the Horned Frogs were ranked or receiving votes came during the 1998-99 season when TCU was ranked as high as No. 21 nationally during the month of January. In the Big 12 Conference, seven of the 10 teams are ranked in the top 27 of the AP poll.
TCU Notes
• Trent Johnson recorded his 250th career victory against Mississippi Valley State.
• TCU is 10-0 for the first time in school history.
• Best start to a season since going 9-0 in 1997-98, which was the last time the Frogs made the NCAA Tournament.
• TCU is 25-4 when leading at the half under head coach Trent Johnson.
• TCU has started the same starting lineup for 10-straight games.
• TCU has now held 22 opponents to 59 points or less under Trent Johnson.
• TCU out-rebounded its opponent for the ninth time this season vs. McNeese State.
• TCU captured its first regular-season tournament title since 1991 by winning the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic.
• TCU eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the first time under Johnson against Mississippi Valley State.
• Kyan Anderson is No. 12 all-time in scoring in program history with 1,308 points.
• Anderson only needs 11 more points to move into sole-possession of No. 11 all-time.
• Anderson now has 19 20-point games in his four-year career after scoring 21 against Furman.
• TCU is 8-3 when Karviar Shepherd grabs double-digit boards.
• Kenrich Williams scored in double-figures for the sixth time in 10 games vs. McNeese State.
• Williams was named the tournament MVP at the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic.
• Trey Zeigler and Chris Washburn were named to the all-tournament team in Corpus Christi.
Schedule Note
Please note that TCU's game schedule for Dec. 29 against Tennessee State will be played at the University Rec Center.
Johnson Accomplishes Rare Feat
By starting the season 10-0, Trent Johnson accomplished a first in his 16 years as a head coach. Johnson had never started a season 10-0. As an assistant, Johnson's 1997 Stanford squad opened its season 17-0 before falling to Arizona, 93-75, in late January.
Firing Out Of The Gate
TCU has outscored its first 10 opponents by a combined score of 69-34 in the first 4 minutes of action. During that span, the schools have gone a combined 12-for-47 from the field with 17 turnovers. Earlier this year against Washington State, the Frogs opened the contest on a 14-0 run. WSU didn't even score from the field until 15:52 showed on the clock.
Powering The Glass
TCU has out-rebounded nine out of its 10 opponents this season. The Frogs only out-rebounded the opposition a total of eight times through 31 games a year ago. The Frogs have totaled 395 boards through 10 games. It took the Purple and White 12 games a year ago to hit that mark. After 10 games in 2013-14, TCU was only averaging 34.4 boards a game. This season, the Frogs are averaging 39.5 rebounds a contest after only 10 games.
